THE ‘METONYMY OF PRESENCE’ IN ARUNDHATHI ROY’S 'THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS' AND KIRAN DESAI’S 'THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS' (Pages 31-38) by Ms. S. Rajeswari in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

"Metonymy of Presence” is the double identity Indians hold due to the effect of colonization. This phrase has been coined by Homi K. Bhabha. It refers to the mimicry of the colonized by the colonizer. The British colonizers who ruled as have made an impact socially and culturally. The invisible presence of the colonizers is omnipresent in the Postcolonial era. Indians are caught between two cultures. They could neither adhere to the old tradition nor follow the modern trend completely. It is difficult for them to own an identity of their own. Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai are Booker Prize recipients who belong to India. In their works The God of Small Things and The Inheritance of Loss the major and the minor characters undergo sufferings emotionally due to the effects of imperialism. Few characters like Pappachi, Baby Kochamma, and Chacko in The God of Small Things and Sai, Jemubhai the Judge, his cook and Biju in The Inheritance of Loss are affected due to “metonymy of presence”. Identity crisis is a major problem which disturbs their normal living. It is interesting to note that the colonizers are an important cause for marginalization. This paper will analyze Homi K. Bhabha’s idea of “metonymy of presence” in detail. Keywords: Metonymy of presence, Identity crisis, Marginalization, Mimicry, social and cultural loss.